The translator that was hired for Sean and his group is a Muslim woman. Chittrek is probably not the correct spelling but it is how her name sounds. She is a wonderful young woman and was happy to answer any questions that I had. Clara, one of Sean's colleagues thought that I missed my calling and should have become an interrogator. I can't help it.... I have questions!
Chittrek wears a Hijab, not a Burka. A hjab is head scarf that covers the hair, neck and upper body of a woman. She started wearing this within a year after she reached puberty and did object at first but found that she did not like having men gazing at her with desire when she was not wearing it. The reasons for a woman wearing a head covering is for modesty, privacy and morality. The Quran states that women should cover themselves, except for the face and hands. A burka is the long black cloak worn by some Muslim women, generally in the dessert countries. Chittrek tells me it is to keep them from being covered with the dust that pervades those hot, sandy countries and that when they move to places with a different climate, they tend to wear them more from habit than any other reason. Muslims in this part of the world are not as strict as in others so it is not unusual to see young women wearing tight jeans, sandals and riding a motorcycle. Chittrek is an educated, forward thinking young woman with an opinion that she does not mind expressing. She in no way appears to be oppressed. I cannot help but think about the way that we dress in the western world. Women are just as much at the mercy of the fashion industry and dress the way we do for the opposite reason that Muslim women do. We want for men to gaze upon us with desire and are often willing to put up with any amount of discomfort to attract their attention.
Muslim women do swim and have a bathing suit that covers their entire body. It was designed in Indonesia. They are allowed to swim with men. Here is a photo that I found online.
On to prayer. Muslims here pray 5 times a day and the prayer time coincides with the positioning of the sun. First prayer of the day is just before the sun starts to rise which I have deduced to be 3:45, second is at noon when it is straight overhead, third is at 3:00 and I am not sure why, fourth is at 5:00 which is dusk here and the last is at 6:00 when the sun has gone down. Lucky for people who live here, the sun does not change positions in the sky. If you live in Canada, prayer time is a different time everyday. Before praying, Muslims must wash their face, lips, ears, hands and feet with CLEAN water. In this part of the world, that is a feat in itself! Clean water is something not fond in abundance. I can only imagine the management that goes with this lifestyle. For instance yesterday, on the bus trip, Chittrek had to find a place to go and wash herself and pray. She knew that she would miss the 3:00 prayer so she did that one at noon when we stopped for lunch, as well as her noontime prayer. It seems to me that your life would revolve around praying.
No alcohol, no pork. That about covers my lesson for today.
Chittrek wears a Hijab, not a Burka. A hjab is head scarf that covers the hair, neck and upper body of a woman. She started wearing this within a year after she reached puberty and did object at first but found that she did not like having men gazing at her with desire when she was not wearing it. The reasons for a woman wearing a head covering is for modesty, privacy and morality. The Quran states that women should cover themselves, except for the face and hands. A burka is the long black cloak worn by some Muslim women, generally in the dessert countries. Chittrek tells me it is to keep them from being covered with the dust that pervades those hot, sandy countries and that when they move to places with a different climate, they tend to wear them more from habit than any other reason. Muslims in this part of the world are not as strict as in others so it is not unusual to see young women wearing tight jeans, sandals and riding a motorcycle. Chittrek is an educated, forward thinking young woman with an opinion that she does not mind expressing. She in no way appears to be oppressed. I cannot help but think about the way that we dress in the western world. Women are just as much at the mercy of the fashion industry and dress the way we do for the opposite reason that Muslim women do. We want for men to gaze upon us with desire and are often willing to put up with any amount of discomfort to attract their attention.
Muslim women do swim and have a bathing suit that covers their entire body. It was designed in Indonesia. They are allowed to swim with men. Here is a photo that I found online.
On to prayer. Muslims here pray 5 times a day and the prayer time coincides with the positioning of the sun. First prayer of the day is just before the sun starts to rise which I have deduced to be 3:45, second is at noon when it is straight overhead, third is at 3:00 and I am not sure why, fourth is at 5:00 which is dusk here and the last is at 6:00 when the sun has gone down. Lucky for people who live here, the sun does not change positions in the sky. If you live in Canada, prayer time is a different time everyday. Before praying, Muslims must wash their face, lips, ears, hands and feet with CLEAN water. In this part of the world, that is a feat in itself! Clean water is something not fond in abundance. I can only imagine the management that goes with this lifestyle. For instance yesterday, on the bus trip, Chittrek had to find a place to go and wash herself and pray. She knew that she would miss the 3:00 prayer so she did that one at noon when we stopped for lunch, as well as her noontime prayer. It seems to me that your life would revolve around praying.
No alcohol, no pork. That about covers my lesson for today.
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